Bistro Savannah would feed me tonight. I was thankful. We walked into the quaint atmosphere of the bistro on West Congress Street. Thomas wanted to come here because he had just gotten paid. And every good-ol’American boy wants a steak on payday. So where else would we go but the restaurant that was voted “Georgia’s #1 seafood restaurant” by the Zagat Survey. Rest assured, they do steaks as well as they do seafood.
Thomas gave me a chance to change. And dinner gave us a chance to talk . We walked into the bistro, located in the historic market area, and ordered dinner .Now, staring across the table at him over a fabulous plate of potato-crusted salmon with chive butter sauce, it was hard not to notice how he had grown. Not necessarily matured, but definitely grown. Our years together had afforded us each other’s confidence. Even though we easily irritated each other,we trusted each other . When we first moved to Savannah,we were pretty much each other’s only friend. He found new ones quickly. I found Paige . Thomas loved her. First, because she got me away from hanging out with him and his friends. Second, because she got me away from hanging out with him and his friends.
He is the lover of the family. He’s always kissing and hugging on people. He is also the schmoozer of the group. He can schmooze you out of something—usually money—before you know you’ve even been schmoozed. Dad is onto him . Vicky’s a sucker. Me? Well, he learned most of his tricks from me, so I’m totally not snared in his tangled web.
He looks a great deal like our dad. And it seems that people have the same attraction to him as they do toward our father . Thomas has won the hearts of most of the older assistants at the courthouse—all women. Broken the hearts of quite a few of the interns—all women. And most of the judges assure him he needs to be a lawyer and needs to attend their alma mater—all ego. I’ve always thought he would be a great lawyer, because he will argue his point until you give in, give up, or slap him . The trait of debate he got from the one who birthed him . That even he cannot deny.
“I got some great songs off of the Internet today free. It’s like Napster used to be.”
“Are you hanging out with a rapper?”
“Do you live in this century?”
“Last I checked.”
“Honestly, sometimes it’s like a ninety-year-old woman crawls out of your body and lands into my conversations.”
I placed the fork back on my salad plate. “Is there something in the water about relating me to old people?”
“Napster was a Web site where you could download free music until some law got rid of that as an option. But people still find a way to do it.”
“Sounds illegal.”
“No more illegal than what record companies are charging for CDs.”
“So, what songs can you get?” I asked, taking a bite of the salmon that sat before me and letting it melt in my mouth.
He didn’t bother to stop chewing the steak that he had just put in his mouth.“Any song. Just click and it’s yours.”
“Can you get Donny Osmond songs on there?”
“See, I knew it! You really are ninety. There is no way you, a twenty-four-year-old woman, should even know Donny Osmond songs . You should be singing Bon Jovi songs, or I’ll even give you Boyz II Men or that Jonathan Pierce guy, who’s not half-bad. But my Lord,woman, not Donny Osmond. Next thing you know you’ll be talking about Barry Manilow tunes.”
“I actually love—”
“Don’t say it, Savannah. I swear, I’ll dig you a hole in the ground when we leave here.”
“I’ll dig you a hole in the ground when we leave here.” I mimicked. “I am not old. And you shouldn’t swear.”
“See, you sound just like our mother. And to top it off you’re wearing pearls on a Monday.” He swung his fork at me, causing a piece of his potato to swat me in the face.
“Would you put that down before you gesture, please?” I wiped my face with my napkin. I had forgotten to take my pearls off when I changed clothes. They didn’t really match my jeans and T-shirt. “I’m trying to look more professional.”
“You’re trying to look like that Ms. Austin lady. And you will never look that good,” he said, not looking up from his plate.
“I am not. And I will too.”
He looked up at me with a totally annoying-brother kind of look.“You want to refuse who you are, to become something you’re not. And you don’t even know if what’s on the cover is an accurate representation of what’s on the pages. Are you getting me here?
Because I’m trying to relate to your world.”
“Whatever.”
“You like what you see, but you don’t know that what you see is all you will get. And once you get all that you see, you might not like it.” “You have just crossed over to loo-loo land.”
This dinner wasn’t enjoyable anymore. I got up to go to the restroom. My cell phone rang on the way.
“Hello?”
“Where are you? You sound like you’re in a well,” Paige’s voice declared.
“I’m in the restroom.”
“Gross! You’re not using the restroom and talking to me at the same time, are you?”
“Like you haven’t done that to me a thousand times. And no, I’m standing here at the sink. And you better not be calling to tell me our plans have fallen through.”
“Actually, my darling, I’m calling to tell you that I have successfully contacted Grant. And I will have him at the door of Jake’s promptly at seven thirty.”
“You are fabulous.”
“Yes, sweet girl, I am . You owe me big.”
“He’ll owe you bigger,” I assured her.
“Now go get on with your business.”
“I’m going back to get dessert.”
“Ooh, have some for me.”
“Sure. My pleasure . Thank you, my friend. Love ya.”
“You too . Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow!” I declared in sheer delight as an elderly lady walked through the bathroom door, only to back herself right back through it upon my outburst.
Back at the table,Thomas appeared in no way disturbed at our conversation. He was just stating the facts as he saw them. He was like Vicky in that way. Neither realized or even concerned themselves with the immediate effects of their words . They just simply stated how they felt, what they observed, and that was that.
“I’m not in denial, and I know who I am. And I’m not old. So I would advise a man who desires to live eternally with his mother to quit dissecting my personality and talk about other things. Like this free-music stuff.”
“Oh, it really is amazing. Just pick a song. Download it. And bam! You’ve got new music.”
“Could I just download them to my iPod?”
“Anything you want.”
“Anything?”
“Even Donny Osmond.”We shared our desserts and speculated how Amber and Mother would spend their evening under the stars . We came up with many options and expressed thanks that we would be present for none of them.